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A Brief Articulation of Sola Scriptura

The Biblical Basis for the Sufficiency of Scripture

Sam Shamoun

 

 

Sola Scriptura is the belief that the Holy Scriptures are the sole, sufficient, infallible rule of faith. The importance of affirming and defending this doctrine stems partly from the need to know God personally for salvation and to know his will in order to carry it out in our lives:

 

“This is what the LORD says: Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24

 

“‘If you love me, you will obey what I command’… Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him’… Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.’” John 14:15, 21, 23-24

 

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3

 

The Holy Bible teaches that there are grave consequences in failing to know and obey God:

 

“my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.” Hosea 4:6

 

 

What Sola Scriptura does not teach

 

Before presenting the biblical basis for Sola Scriptura, we first need to explain what Sola Scriptura does not teach or deny. Sola Scriptura:

 

 

1. Does not deny that God’s Inspired Word was transmitted orally.

 

When there were inspired prophets and apostles walking this earth, God’s inspired word was being transmitted both orally and through written letter:

 

“This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” 1 Corinthians 2:13

 

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 1 Thessalonians 2:13

 

“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15

 

After the death of the last Apostle, God consummated the revelation of his word and has preserved it in the inspired Scriptures.

 

 

2. Does not deny the ultimate importance of the Holy Spirit.

 

It is only by the Holy Spirit’s illumination that a person is able to understand and believe in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables a person to accept the inspiration, sufficiency, infallibility and inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures: 

 

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26

 

“This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:13-14

 

“Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:3

 

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,” Ephesians 1:17-18

 

“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth… I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit-just as it has taught you, remain in him.” 1 John 2:20, 26-27

 

 

3. Does not deny the use of General Revelation.

 

General Revelation refers to God revealing himself through creation and conscience:

 

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”  Psalm 19:1-4

 

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:18-20

 

“(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.” Romans 2:14-16

 

Yet General Revelation does not save. God saves through the preaching of the Gospel:

 

for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:13-17

 

 

4. Does not deny the importance of pastors, teachers and evangelists.

 

“And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?” 1 Corinthians 12:28-29

 

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it… It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:7, 11-15

 

What Sola Scriptura teaches is that all pastors, teachers and evangelists are subject to God’s ultimate authority, the God-breathed Scriptures:

 

“As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:10-11

 

 

5. Does not claim that all its parts are equally clear and understandable.

 

“Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” 2 Peter 3:15-16

 

Rather, it teaches that the message of salvation is clear enough that the person empowered by the Spirit is able to understand and accept it. Furthermore, the Scriptures exhort the man of God to make sure that he carefully and rightly divides the word of truth:

 

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

 

 

6. Does not claim that the Scriptures are exhaustive, that everything God ever said or did are contained within the Holy Bible.

 

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” John 21:25

 

 

 

What Sola Scriptura does teach

 

It teaches that:

 

1. The Holy Scriptures are the sole, infallible rule of faith by virtue of it being breathed out or inspired by God. As such it is completely sufficient in and of itself to thoroughly equip Christians in all things necessary for salvation and sanctification.

 

 

2. The Bible is the only certain norm, since it is the only revelation that can be demonstrated to have come from inspired men of God. This cannot be said of oral traditions.

 

 

3. Finally, the central focus of the Scriptures is to reveal and make known the risen Lord and immortal Savior Jesus Christ, God’s eternally beloved Son, who alone grants eternal life to all who believe:  

 

The following citations demonstrate that the foregoing points are thoroughly scriptural in nature.

 

“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” John 5:39-40

 

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31

 

John states that not everything Christ did was recorded, and yet what has been recorded is sufficient to obtain eternal life. If Scriptures are sufficient to lead a person to eternal life, then nothing else is needed.

 

“And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:19-21

 

Peter claims that the Holy Scriptures were produced as a result of God’s Holy Spirit moving men of God to write. Hence, the Scriptures are both divine and human in origin. In other words, the Bible is God’s Word which is communicated through human vessels, using human language.

 

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are ABLE (ta dunamena) to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God (theopneustos) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent (artios), equipped (exertismenos) for EVERY GOOD WORK.” 2 Timothy 3:14-17 ESV

 

Paul teaches that:

 

A.     The Scriptures make one wise for salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus.

 

The word translated here as “able” conveys the idea that Scriptures have an inherent ability, an inherent sufficiency to accomplish its purpose. Again, if the Scriptures are capable of leading one to salvation, what need is there for anything else?

 

B.     The Scriptures are God-breathed or breathed out by God. In other words, the Scriptures originate from God and not from man.

 

C.     The Scriptures thoroughly, completely furnish or equip the man of God not just for some or many good works, but for EVERY good work that is necessary for the Christian life.

 

Exertismenos is the participial form of exartizo. Thayer’s Lexicon defines it as “to complete, finish, to furnish perfectly.”  Louw & Nida, in their Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, Volume 1, p. 680, write:

 

“… to make someone completely adequate or sufficient for something- ‘to make adequate to furnish completely, to cause to be fully qualified, adequacy.’

 

Thayer defines artios as “complete, perfect.” Bauer&Gingrich&Danker’s A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christianity Literature, second edition, define it as “complete, capable, proficient=able to meet all demands.”

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1940, states:

 

artios , a, on (os, on Aristid.Quint.1.25): ( [arti] ):--complete, perfect of its kind, suitable, exactly fitled, a. allêloisi sponduloi Hp.Art.45 ; artia bazein speak to the purpose, Il.14.92, Od.8.240; hoti hoi phresin artia êidê thought things in accordance with him, was of the same mind with him, Il.5.326, Od.19.248; artia mêdesthai Pi.O.6.94 ; meet, right, proper, Sol.4.40, Thgn.946; a. eis ti well-suited for . . , IG14.889.7 (Sinuessa); artiôtatên echein taxinmost perfect, Philostr.VS1.21.3. (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2315683)

 

This last point is extremely important and crucial in demonstrating the sole sufficiency of the Scriptures. If the Scriptures are able to make the man of God complete or perfect, as well as thoroughly adequate or sufficient for EVERY GOOD WORK, then what else does he need apart from the God-breathed revelation?

 

In fact, can those who deny Sola Scriptura produce a good work that is necessary for either salvation or sanctification that are not found in the Scriptures? Obviously not, since if they could they would be falsifying Paul’s claim here and attributing error to the inspired Scriptures.

 

 

4. The Holy Bible teaches that what God says the Bible says and what it says God says. In other words God’s words and the words of Scripture are one and the same.

 

 

A. What God says the Bible says

 

Example 1:

 

Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.’” Genesis 12:1-3 RSV

 

 

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’” Galatians 3:8 RSV

 

 

Example 2:

 

 

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me… but for this purpose have I let you live, to show you my power, so that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.’”’” Exodus 9:13, 16 RSV

 

 

For the scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.’” Romans 9:17 RSV

 

 

B. What the Bible says God says

 

 

Example 1:

 

“Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Genesis 2:23-24 RSV

 

“He answered, ‘Have you not read that HE who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”?’” Matthew 19:4-5 RSV

 

 

Example 2:

 

“Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?” Psalm 2:1 RSV

 

“And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, ‘Sovereign Lord, who didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who by the mouth of our father David, thy servant, didst say by the Holy Spirit, “Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things?”’” Acts 4:24-25 RSV

 

 

Example 3:

 

“For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit.” Psalm 16:10 RSV

 

“And as for the fact that HE raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, HE spoke in this way, ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore he says also in another psalm, ‘Thou wilt not let thy Holy One see corruption.’” Acts 13:34-35 RSV

 

 

SOME OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED

 

We next address three main objections often leveled against the sole, sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures. It is claimed that if 2 Timothy 3:14-17 proves the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, then it proves too much. It proves that the NT is not needed since the Scripture that Timothy was familiar with was the OT.

 

This argument misses the point. Paul is not talking about the canon of Scripture, but about the origin and purpose of Scripture. Since the Holy Scriptures originate from God they are able to accomplish God’s purpose of equipping the saints. In principle, this would apply to EVERY book that God inspires or breathes out, not just to the OT canon. In fact, Paul himself provides evidence for this interpretation in his first epistle to Timothy:

 

“For THE SCRIPTURE says, ‘Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages.’” 1 Timothy 5:18

 

Paul quotes Deuteronomy 25:4 AND LUKE 10:7:

 

“Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.” Luke 10:7

 

Here, Paul calls Luke’s Gospel Scripture and places it on the same level of Moses’ writings! Additional evidence that Paul is citing Luke's Gospel can be seen from a comparison of the Greek:

 

Luke 10:7 - ... axios gar ho ergates tou misthou autou.

1 Timothy 5:18 - ... axios ho ergates tou misthou autou.

 

   

Paul also claims that his own writings are inspired:

 

"If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am WRITING to you is the Lord's command. If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored." 1 Corinthians 14:37-38

 

"Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus." Therefore, he who rejects THIS instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit." 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2,8

 

"But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by LETTER from us." 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 NASB

 

Finally:

 

"If anyone does not obey our instruction IN THIS LETTER, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed." 2 Thessalonians 3:14

 

When we keep in mind that these letters all preceded the writing of 1 and 2 Timothy, we can safely infer that these epistles would have also been included among the Scriptures that Paul said were breathed out by God; an inference which the apostle Peter himself makes:

 

“Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” 2 Peter 3:15-16

 

Noted Evangelical Scholar Douglas J. Moo comments:

 

The implicit point Peter is making emerges from his claim that the false teachers distort Paul's letters ‘as they do the other Scriptures.’ The word ‘other’ (loipos) shows that Peter considers the letters of Paul to belong to the category of ‘Scripture.’ Some scholars think that this means no more than that Peter considered Paul's writings to be authoritative. But the word ‘Scriptures’ (graphai) ALWAYS REFERS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT TO THOSE WRITINGS CONSIDERED NOT ONLY AUTHORITATIVE BUT CANONICAL- in a word, it refers to the Old Testament… Peter therefore implies that the letters of Paul have a status EQUIVALENT to that of the canon of the Old Testament itself. (Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: 2 Peter, Jude [Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI 1996], p. 212; bold and capital emphasis ours)

 

Therefore, it becomes rather evident that 2 Timothy 3:16 is not limiting inspiration to the OT canon but also includes ALL the writings that God would breathe out, such as the 27 books of the NT.

 

The second argument leveled against the sufficiency of Scriptures is the assertion that the Bible itself refers to other things that are necessary for Christian maturity such as perseverance, purity etc. Cf. James 1:4; 2 Timothy 2:21

 

Some go so far as to claim that Ephesians 4:11-15 states that the apostles, prophets, teachers and evangelists which Christ gave the Church is what brings about the complete maturity and unity of Christ’s body, not the Scriptures.

 

Apart from the fact that none of these passages use the Greek words artios or exartizo, this actually proves our point. How would a person know that perseverance, purity and all the different offices that Christ instituted for the Church are essential for Christian maturity if the Scriptures hadn’t stated this? In other words, since it is in the God-breathed Scriptures that we find these qualities listed as necessary for successful Christian living, this then proves that the Bible contains everything needed for the Christian life! There is nothing else that needs to be added to it.

 

The third and final argument used to undermine Sola Scriptura is that the Bible supposedly does not teach this doctrine. It is stated that the Bible exhorts believers to follow traditions which have been passed on either orally or through letter:

 

“So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our SPOKEN WORD or by our letter.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15 ESV

 

A couple of responses are in order. First, the context shows that the traditions that Paul had in mind weren’t teachings such as the Immaculate Conception, Purgatory, the Bodily Assumption of Mary etc., but to the Gospel:

 

“But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 ESV

 

Since the Gospel has been inscripturated within the inspired pages of Scripture, nothing else is needed.

 

Second, Paul speaks of the traditions which have been passed on. This means that any tradition claiming to be Apostolic in nature must be shown to have come from the Apostles and their immediate companions. The only way to do this is to consult the God-breathed Scriptures since these are the only records we have that can be shown to have come from the Apostles and their followers.

 

 

The Bible on Itself

 

We conclude our short discussion by presenting a list of passages that highlight some of the many qualities of God’s Word. We are quite aware that many of these passages do not refer exclusively to God’s written Word. Nonetheless, these descriptions equally apply to the Holy Bible since it is indeed the very revealed and inscripturated Word of God. All citations taken from the English Standard Version:

 

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;” Psalm 19:7-8

 

“Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.” Psalm 119:89

 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

 

“I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.” Psalm 138:2

 

“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.” Proverbs 30:5-6

 

“And when they say to you, ‘Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,’ should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.” Isaiah 8:19-20

 

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8

 

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11

 

“For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’ For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,’ there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.” Jeremiah 20:8-9

 

“Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23:29

 

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matthew 24:35

 

“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.” Luke 16:17

 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” John 5:24

 

“If he called them gods to whom the word of God came--and Scripture cannot be broken-” John 10:35

 

“If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.” John 12:47-48

 

“Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” John 15:3

 

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17

 

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4

 

“that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,” Ephesians 5:26

 

“and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” Ephesians 6:17

 

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

 

“Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” James 1:18

 

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;” 1 Peter 1:22-23

 

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” Revelation 22:18-19

 

 

Recommended Reading

 

The following books are essential reading:

1. David T. King, Holy Scripture: The Ground and Pillar of Our Faith, Volume I: A Biblical Defense of the Reformation Principle of Sola Scriptura, Christian Resources, Inc., October 2001, ISBN 1893531023.

2. William Webster, Holy Scripture: The Ground and Pillar of Our Faith, Volume II: An Historical Defense of the Reformation Principle of Sola Scriptura, Christian Resources, Inc., October 2001, ISBN 1893531031.

3. William Webster, David T. King, Holy Scripture: The Ground and Pillar of Our Faith, Volume III: The Writings of the Church Fathers Affirming the Reformation Principle of Sola Scriptura, Christian Resources, Inc., October 2001, ISBN 1893531058.

4. Sola Scriptura! The Protestant Position on the Bible by Don Kistler, general editor, Soli Deo Gloria Pubns, June 2003, ISBN: 1573580287.

 

The first 3 books can be ordered from here: http://christiantruth.com/books.html

The last one can be purchased at this web site: https://aomin.org/bookstore/shop.html?shop=books